Social Determinants of Health Impact Severity of Chronic Disease

New Jersey’s poorest zip codes have the highest rates of individuals with chronic diseases seeking care in emergency rooms, showing a strong link between the social determinants of health and poor outcomes, according to a new state report. The team from the Center for Health Analytics, Research and Transformation (CHART) at the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) also found a clear relationship between employment status, income and nutrition, and poor health status. Chronic diseases are on the rise in New Jersey, the report said, and the prevalence of these conditions is straining healthcare delivery across the state. To better understand the impact of chronic conditions on care delivery in New Jersey, the CHART team examined patient record data from more than three million hospital ER visits in 2017. The results showed that hospitals in New Jersey spend over $2 billion each year providing emergency care to patients who don’t need to be admitted for more advanced treatment. Approximately 1.2 million, or 39 percent, of these visits were associated with patients who had one or more chronic conditions.